Drum Brakes

[Whippet]

On holiday in Holland and I've noticed that a lot of bikes here still have drum brakes. I can understand why 200kg / 150mph motorbikes needed to move to the superior power of disks. But why are drum brakes out of favour in the UK? I've never used them myself but they would appear to offer some advantages.

[mercalia]

fewer people ride purely utility bikes?

[WrightsW5]

I have had plenty, beautiful smooth braking. Pashley use them on most of their bikes.

[[XAP]Bob]

They're good - but there isn't a hub braked dynamo hub for a stub axle...

[squeaker]

They're good - but there isn't a hub braked dynamo hub for a stub axle...

...that you can buy, yet....

[MikeF]

In the 50s I had a bike with drum brakes and they didn't work at all well. IRC they were Sturmey Archer. I had to squeeze the brake lever so hard that on occasions the nipple pulled off the cable.
I could never work out why they didn't work well. However far less effort is needed to stop a wheel near the rim, than at the hub.

[[XAP]Bob]

They're good - but there isn't a hub braked dynamo hub for a stub axle...

...that you can buy, yet....

Wow, that's what I'd have gone for on my trike - if the price is right, a pair of them!

Hmmmm, dual dynamo goodness

Anyone know if they are "either sided" or left/right specific (and if they are, do they do both?)

[Brucey]

On holiday in Holland and I've noticed that a lot of bikes here still have drum brakes. I can understand why 200kg / 150mph motorbikes needed to move to the superior power of disks. But why are drum brakes out of favour in the UK? I've never used them myself but they would appear to offer some advantages.

I am quite a fan of hub brakes too. In all fairness the commonest 70mm SA type are usually a little heavier and less powerful than discs, but on the plus side they require less maintenance, are invulnerable to pike parking knocks (that routinely bend discs), and are usually completely unaffected by the weather. The brake linings take awhile to bed in, are not cheap to replace, but should last for years, in normal use.

In rough terms adding hub brakes of any kind adds weight (vs rim brakes) to a utility bike. 70mm Aluminium alloy SA hub brakes add about 1lb to a bike, in round numbers. (You can buy nicely made rear SA hubs to accept a screw-on freewheel or a cassette BTW) The extra weight of pretty average disc hubs and (say) BB7s over rim brakes is about the same. Shimano roller brakes are considerably more heavy than either, and are also slightly more draggy in many cases.

SA do 90mm hub brakes too and these are very powerful, and a bit heavier. For many years good quality Dutch bikes were commonly fitted with steel 90mm hub brakes, the rear usually with a three-speed hub.

Older SA hubs with drum brakes were often rendered ineffective by oil contamination of the linings; even the most sparing use of oil in a 3-speed hub can lead to such contamination, and even if grease is used it can sometimes separate, allowing oil to run where it shouldn't.

Sachs (known latterly as SRAM) also did various hub brakes, but I think they have quit making them now. A shame really, they seemed more or less on a par with SA ones.

I think that the present vogue for disc brakes is all fine and good but for many kinds of riding I actually think drums are a much better idea.

cheers

[[XAP]Bob]

My old trike had drums, the drum linings were original - after 20 years. And a fair few miles!

[Dale08]

I have drums on my ice sprint the best brakes I've used can lift the back end

[breakwellmz]

On holiday in Holland and I've noticed that a lot of bikes here still have drum brakes. I can understand why 200kg / 150mph motorbikes needed to move to the superior power of disks. But why are drum brakes out of favour in the UK? I've never used them myself but they would appear to offer some advantages.

My memories of drum brakes on lightweight motorcycles-

1-Buttock clenching,wheel grabbing action on first application on cold mornings.(Just what you want on an icy road!)

2-Oval drums caused by a Gorilla with a spoke key.

3-De-greasing of wheel bearings due to excessive heat build-up.

4-Brake dust build-up with nowhere for it to go.

5-Rusted brake cables with nipples on both ends.

6-Having to dry them out for miles after going through deep water.

None of the above with disc brakes and far less maintenance to boot in my experience.

I had Shimano roller brakes on a Dutch designed Giant.They were consistent whatever the weather-always rubbish.

[Whippet]

Thanks for the feedback all. I must try some out sometime.

[Bicycler]

Lots of mention of their use for utility bikes and I can understand why you wouldn't want them on your nice lightweight road or audax bike but why not touring/hybrid/recreational mountain bikes? Maybe you don't want something unusual on your bike when crossing the Himalayas but surely a reliable low-maintenance less exposed brake would be of benefit for most general cyclists dealing with rain, road salt, muddy tracks and the usual knocks and bumps?

[speedsixdave]

why not touring/hybrid/recreational mountain bikes?

Further to this, how do they work with modern drop-bar levers? Could the humble drum brake be a solution to the apparent horrors of trying to get STI/ergo levers to work with modern cantilevers / v-brakes / mini-Vs? There are lots of threads that get into this conundrum with regard to clearance and tyre size and gear changing for drop-bar tourers. Is there a fundamental reason why drums are not a solution*?


*Except for the normal drum brake issues of availability, weight and lack of quick release.

[WrightsW5]

I don't see how the weight is an issue, if you convert a front wheel for example you take away the original hub weight, the original brake weight and replace with another hub that just has a bigger hollow shell with some brake shoes inside it.